


less important (than you)

by Tiny_Dragongirl



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alien Planet, Dancing, F/M, Time Agent Rose Tyler, that Look across the room
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 10:07:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27349390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiny_Dragongirl/pseuds/Tiny_Dragongirl
Summary: Loki is the god of mischief, Rose is a time agent, and they keep running into each other.
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Rose Tyler
Kudos: 7
Collections: Kisses Bingo





	less important (than you)

**Author's Note:**

> Title from _Love Love Love_ by Of Monsters And Men.

“What are you doing here?” Rose hisses and Loki knows that his smug grin does nothing to soothe her annoyance.

“Enjoying the ball.” To say that his words are greeted by an incredulous glare is the understatement of the year— it seems that Rose is posing for the statue of unconcealed suspicion, eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed. “Why, is it so hard to believe that I was invited?”

“Excuse me if I have my doubts.”

“I’m a prince of Asgard.” Loki straightens up. “In case you haven’t noticed, this room is full of important people— and yet they’re still less important than—”

“—you? Oh, please, Your Majesty, I humbly ask your forgiveness, not only for doubting you, but calling you out on your bullshit,” Rose mocks him with a smile playing around her lips, but her face quickly turns serious again. “No, honestly, just tell me. If you’re about to ruin a perfectly good party, at least I want to be in the know.”

“I’m here for business.”

“Somehow that doesn’t reassure me at all.”

The band is playing a tune that sounds like the mash-up of Pachelbel’s _Canon in D Major_ , synthetic jazz, and someone drilling a hole in a brick wall, and Loki deems it good enough to offer a hand to Rose. Since she might have ambiguous feelings about him but she likes to dance (a little detail well-known to Loki), she accepts. Or maybe she thinks that it’s easier to keep an eye on him while they’re twirling across the room hand-in-hand? If so, it doesn’t hold Loki back from sneaking an arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

“That’s better.”

Rose ignores his comment and goes back to verbally torturing him for information.

“So, who is the lucky one? Or should I say ‘unlucky’?”

“Do you mean the person for whom I travelled across the galaxy, just to exchange a few words and maybe have a dance with them? Anybody would enjoy this kind of attention from a prince, I’d wager.”

“Anybody, huh?”

“Anybody but you.”

Tonight Loki may fail to turn her head but at least he knows how to turn her on the dance floor. If he can’t make her dizzy with his words (what a shame on his silvertongue), at least he’ll try his best as a dance partner and dip her like he means it.

“I assume you can’t be beguiled into doing business with me.”

“You assume correctly.”

“Why are you so sure? I have ambition. You crave adventures. Together we could conquer any world! Take your pick and by the end of this day, we’ll be ruling it.”

“No, thank you.” Rose grimaces.

“Don’t you feel tempted to become a queen?”

“I don’t want to rule, I just want to do my job.” Suddenly, she lets go of his hands and takes a step back, nearly colliding with another couple. Pulling up the sleeve of her pink dress, she checks the vortex manipulator on her wrist. “I guess you were doing business when I ran into you on Shikandrian. And on Heelar 5. And, let’s see, on Farquí. Oh, and how could I forget— that night on Hilmarsdotten was purely business, wasn’t it?”

“I never intended to hurt you.”

“No, you intended to steal my vortex manipulator after lulling my suspicions with empty words and enjoying yourself a bit. My feelings were never part of the equation.”

“Rose, you must know that I wasn’t using you.”

“Whatever.”

“You’ll never believe me, won’t you?”

Loki is a god; he’ll never beg a mere mortal— but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel a little bit tempted to say ‘please’.

“Damn right you are!” Rose huffs. “Even the air you breathe out is full of lies.”

“Lies, fibs, half-truths— They don’t mean anything. There’s no truth or lie, no right or wrong, just different perspectives.”

Humans. They’re so tiny, no wonder they see so little and just can’t get the big picture.

“I’m offering perspectives here. Do you really want to be a slave of conventions instead of challenging them? You’ll be filling out paperwork for the agency until the end of your life, and when it comes, the end I mean, it won’t change a thing.” Begging isn’t his forte but persuasion is definitely in a trickster’s job description. “Together we could make the world, any world, spin out of control.”

“Stop! Just stop.”

Now heads are turning towards them, sensing the tension in their squared shoulders and whisper-shouts. Loki can’t help but think that Rose slapping him in the middle of the most glamorous ballroom of Bol-ash-Dakh would give the guests enough gossip material for a few weeks at least. He isn’t entirely... averse to the idea of a well-placed slap from the right person.

“You’re talking like a child. No world is your spinning top.”

But it will be, Loki thinks. One day, with or without her by his side, even if only for a moment, the universe and everything in it will be his.

“I take this is a no.”

“Always and forever.”

Loki nods. “You could be my equal.” Silent determination is the only answer he gets—just as he expected. He’ll do it alone then, like he has always done. “Don’t worry. If you change your mind, I’ll know.”

“As if.”

“And when you do, you won’t need to come to me. I’ll find you.” It’s not a threat but a promise. “I’ll always find you.”

And then he always leaves her. Turning his back on her and slipping out of room, that’s the end of their choreography— their story is a chain of unfinished dances.

It’s a huge ballroom, full of wealthy and pompous guests, but when Loki looks back for a second, he doesn’t need to search. Rose is like a magnet for him; as their eyes lock, Loki can see his own longing and sorrow mirrored in her gaze, and wonders why the earth hasn’t cracked under the intensity of her look yet. The floor should open and swallow all these people who are less important than Rose Tyler, his pink and yellow human.

As usual, Loki is the first to break eye contact and turn away.

One day, he thinks as he leaves the ball. He might not be able to give her what she wants, but one day he will give Rose the whole universe.


End file.
